MOLINE, ILLINOIS (June 18, 2026) — When Brandis Clayton Virgial and Halema Townsend first met through Zeta Phi Beta Sorority in 2023, they quickly bonded over their shared commitment to service.
During a private conversation, they discovered something even more meaningful: Both were living with sickle cell disease.
“Halema came to me in confidence and told me that she also had sickle cell,” Brandis recalled.












